


When It All Came Crashing Down

by TheGreatUniter1



Category: The Legend of Korra - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Kuvira Childhood!, Kuvira Redemption, Kuvira's Backstory, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-05-03 09:23:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14565969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatUniter1/pseuds/TheGreatUniter1
Summary: Kuvira has fallen and surrendered to the United Republic. What follows is a long road of redemption as she comes to terms with the horrible things she's done and learns to better herself.





	1. Awakening

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Road to Redemption is Hard Fought](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4202367) by [duvarneya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/duvarneya/pseuds/duvarneya). 



> Update: This was originally supposed to just be about Kuvira's childhood, but as I've been writing I've had other thoughts about it. The first chunk will be about Kuvira's childhood and the second half will be focusing on Kuvira redemption after her fall in Republic City.
> 
> Update #2: The relationships that are stated (such as Baavira, happens in Kuvira's childhood and leads into her life as the captain of Suyin's guards and the Korvira ship happens later on and is the main ship within the story.)

When Kuvira opened her eyes, all she saw was bright colors. A mix of confusion shifted through her head. Kuvira blinked a couple of times and her vision started to clear. She felt a pair of arms around her and she looked at the person holding her. A pair of blue eyes looked back at her. Kuvira yelped and pushed Korra away. She started to run, but a burning sensation ripped through her ribs and she held a hand to her side. She looked back at Korra in shock.

“What happened? Are we… dead?” Kuvira’s asked, almost afraid to hear the answer, but when Korra answered, a big weight was lifted off her chest.

“No, we’re okay,” Korra said. “But we’re in The Spirit World. All the energy from your weapon tore open a new portal and blasted us in here.”

Kuvira blinked as the memory of Korra running in front of her spirit cannon popped into her head. She remembered how terrified she felt when it came toward her. She remembered Korra going into The Avatar State and bending the energy away from her.

Kuvira looked at Korra and dropped her head in shame. “Why would you save my life? After everything, I did to you?”

Korra looked away for a moment and sighed. She looked back at Kuvira. “I guess… I see a lot of myself in you and when I saw how terrified you looked when your spirit canon was out of control, I knew I had to save you.”

Kuvira growled at Korra. “We are nothing alike!”

Korra’s voice was soft and full of understanding. “Yes, we are. We’re both fierce and determined to succeed. Sometimes without thinking things through.”

Kuvira dropped to her knees, still looking at Korra. “This wasn’t how I wanted things to end if you had all just surrendered none of this would’ve happened.”

Korra took a couple of steps toward Kuvira. “You brought this on yourself. Messing with the spirit vines, acting like a dictator over your people. You had to know what you were doing wasn’t right.”

Kuvira scowled at Korra. “I was trying to help my people. Su turned her back on The Earth Kingdom, you were gone. I had to do something!”

Korra approached Kuvira again. “I think I get it now.”

Kuvira looked away from Korra and slouched her shoulders. “You don’t understand anything about me!”

Korra nodded again. “I do. Su told me how she took you in when you were younger. It must’ve been so hard being an orphan.”

Kuvira felt her eyes well up with tears and she scowled at Korra. “Don’t pretend you know what it felt like! The Avatar is adored by millions! I was cast aside by my own parents like I meant nothing to them! How could stand by and watch the same thing happen to my nation when it needed someone to guide it?”

Korra knelt down on the spirit grass beside her. “You wanted to create a place where you and people would never be vulnerable again. I may not have been an orphan, but believe me, I know what it's like to be afraid.”

Kuvira growled. “You just don’t understand, do you?”

Kuvira felt herself look into her enemy's eyes, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away.

Korra took Kuvira’s hand in her own and Kuvira didn’t pull away. “Then help me understand. I want to understand.”

Kuvira sighed. “Alright, I’ll tell you.”

 

 

 

 


	2. Childhood

_Fifteen years ago…_

_156 AG_

Kuvira giggled as she poked her head around the corner of the hallway. Her father walking toward her, but it seemed he like didn't even notice her. The little girl pressed her back against the wall and waited. Once her father was in range, she jumped out in front of him. Her father screamed.

Kuvira giggled. “Did I scare you Daddy?”

Her father sighed. “Yes, sweetie. You did scare me.”

Kuvira giggled again and her father walked past her. He walked to the living room and sat down on the couch. Kuvira followed him and sat down beside him.

“Daddy?”

Kuvira’s father looked at her. “Yes, sweetie?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, sweetie. I’m just tired.”

Kuvira nodded. “Okay.”

Kuvira’s father got up from the couch and walked upstairs. Kuvira followed him. Her father walked to his room and closed the door. Kuvira stood outside the door and pressed her ear to it.

“...can't deal with this anymore. I'm too tired for this.” She heard her father say.

“I know, but she's our daughter. What are we supposed to do? We can't just leave her in the middle of nowhere.”

“I don't care what we do!” Kuvira heard her father yell. “She was just a mistake away!”

“Durjaya!” Aparajita yelled.

“You know it's true. Don't act like it's not. We can’t live like this anymore, we need to do something.”

“But she's our daughter.” Kuvira heard her mother protest.

“Fine!” her father yelled. 

* * *

Kuvira layed in bed and stared up at the ceiling. She waited until her parents were asleep, before throwing her things in a small backpack and slinging it over her shoulders. She put on her shoes and walked out of her room, closing her bedroom door behind her quietly. Kuvira walked to the front door and opened it. She walked out and closed the door behind her quietly. She started to walk and she passed the Governor's house. Everything was quiet here in the State Of Yi. She waited at the train station and she shivered as the cold air nipped at her nose and ears. Kuvira yawned and laid down on the nearest bench. She closed her eyes and soon sleep took over.


	3. Discovery

The sound of a train whistle woke Kuvira from a sound sleep. She yawned and opened her eyes. Once her vision cleared, she got off the bench and got on the train. She sat down and looked out the window. Kuvira watched as the State of Yi disappeared from view. Her stomach growled and she began digging in her bag. She pulled out a bag of fire flakes and popped a couple in her mouth. The burn from the fire flakes made her eyes water, but Kuvira didn’t care. It was better compared to the betrayal she was feeling.

* * *

Someone shook Kuvira awake and she jumped up off the seat. Kuvira rubbed her eyes.

“...Zaofu.” Someone was saying.

“Huh?” Kuvira said.

The stewardess shook her head, smiling. “We’ve arrived at Zaofu.” she said again.

“Is this the last stop?” Kuvira asked.

“Well, no. But the ticket you bought said ‘Zaofu’ on it.” The stewardess said.

“What?” Kuvira pulled the ticket from her pocket and there it was in bold.

**Zaofu.**

“Oh.” Kuvira said.

Kuvira got up from her seat and walked off the train. She watched the train disappear and she sighed. She started to walk and she looked around. The smell of copper filled her nose and she looked at the massive metal domes. Her jaw dropped and she stopped walking. She had never seen a city so big before. She was so lost in her daze that she didn’t even hear the footsteps of someone behind her. It wasn't until a pair of arms wrapped around, that she started to panic. Kuvira tried to get away but it was no use. She started to scream, but a hand wrapped around her mouth, cutting it off before it even started. Kuvira started to thrash and she she brought her hand up. A chunk of earth crashed into her captors face and he screamed. He let Kuvira go and she ran as fast as she could. She looked behind her to make sure that she wasn't being followed. But then she bumped into someone else. They were soldiers by the look of it. They wore green Zaofu uniforms with metal helmets. Kuvira backed away and stumbled on words.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you, I was running from someone and I ran into you.”

“Its okay.” The guard said, smiling. “Are you lost? I can take you home.”

“No,” Kuvira said, dropping her head in shame. “My parents abandoned me.”

“Oh,” The soldier said. “Well, I'll take you to the Matriarch, she'll know what to do.”

Kuvira nodded and the soldier motioned for her to follow. Kuvira smiled and began following the soldier. She only hoped that what this man had been true to his word.


	4. Meeting The Matriarch

Kuvira watched the City of Zaofu go by and she let out a sigh. She looked away from the window and down at her hands. Kuvira breathed in deeply and closed her eyes. She listened to the sounds of the car rumble along the road and she let the sound rock her to sleep.

* * *

One of the soldiers shook Kuvira awake. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Once her vision cleared, she got up and followed him out of the car. She had to squint her eyes in order to see. Once her vision adjusted to the light, she saw big metal domes. Kuvira heard a horn and looked to her left, a train past by on the tracks. Kuvira watched as it disappeared into the distance. Once it was out of sight, she saw big white mountains in the background. She stared at them for a moment before a big building covered the view. The building was huge. It looked like a mansion. Kuvira followed the soldiers inside and her jaw dropped when she saw how big the house was on the inside. They walked to down a corridor and stopped at a large door. The two soldiers opened the door and lead Kuvira inside. Inside the room were four young boys—two of which were twins. The third boy had a dark green streak in his hair and a piercing in his nose. The final boy looked much like the older man he stood in front of. The only difference being that the younger boy had black hair— that was shaved on the sides—a goatee, and round glasses. Beside him was a little girl with black hair and a round face. All of them were dressed in traditional Zaofu fashion—green robes and what seemed to be metal plated necklaces around their necks.

One of the soldiers stepped forward and bowed. “I'm sorry to interrupt Matriarch, but I thought that this should be brought to your attention.”

“Very well soldier, what is it?”

The soldier pointed at Kuvira. “We found this little girl in the city and from what she has told us, she doesn't have a family.”

A frown made its way onto the Matriarch’s face. “Oh, well that's very unfortunate.”

The soldier nodded. “Indeed it is Ma’am, we were wondering though, would it be possible for you to take her in? We don't have many orphanages here in Zaofu.”

The Matriarch smiled. “Of course soldier, I’ll get her settled in right away.”

The soldiers nodded and left the room, leaving Kuvira alone with the Matriarch. Kuvira bowed and smiled as she walked over to the woman. “Its a pleasure to meet you Matriarch. My name is Kuvira.”

The Matriarch laughed. “Pleased to meet you Kuvira. My name is Suyin Beifong or Su for short.”

Kuvira nodded. “Okay, Su.”

Su smiled at turned to the rest of her family. “Allow me to introduce my family,” Su pointed to the tall man standing beside her. “This is my husband, Baatar,”

Baatar smiled. “Its nice to meet you.”

Su continued, pointing to the boy in front of Baatar. “This is my eldest son, Baatar Jr.,” Su pointed next to him. “Over there are the twins Wing and Wei,” Su pointed next to him. “There’s Huan, and finally,”—she pointed to the girl standing next to him—“my daughter, Opal.”

Kuvira shook their hands. “Its nice to meet you.”

Su smiled at her and looked over at Baatar Jr. “Junior, sweetie, do you mind showing Kuvira where her room is.”

Baatar Jr. smiled. “Sure thing, mom.”

Baatar motioned for Kuvira, and she followed the young boy down the hallway to her room.


	5. Settling In

Kuvira sat down on the bed in her new room, she looked around and inspected her room. The walls were a grayish color and the bed had a silver frame with green bed sheets. Kuvira got off the bed and walked out of the room. She walked to the living room and sat down on the couch. She saw a model of Zaofu on the table in front of her and she leaned for to touch it.

“Its a nice city, isn’t it?” a voice said.

Kuvira jumped and snatched her hand away from the model. She looked at the person who talked and smiled nervously. “I wasn’t going to touch it.”

Suyin laughed. “Its okay, the model is made of platinum, it won’t break.”

Kuvira furrowed her eyebrows. “Why platinum?”

The Matriarch was surprised by Kuvira’s question. “Metalbenders can’t bend platinum, its the purest metal in the world.”

“Oh,” Kuvira said. “I didn’t know that.”

Once again Suyin was surprised. “You’re an earthbender, right Kuvira?”

“Yes.”

“Can you metalbend?”

Kuvira hung her head. “No.”

Suyin frowned for a moment, then an idea came to her. “How about I teach you how to metalbend.”

It was Kuvira’s turn to be surprised.

“You would do that?” she asked.

Suyin smiled. “Of course I would.”

“When could we start?” Kuvira asked.

“Whenever you like.”

* * *

Later that day, Kuvira and Suyin walked to the sparring circle and Suyin bended a piece of a metal meteorite in her hand. “These metal meteorites have unique properties, making it easier to bend.” Suyin bended the meteor into many different shapes.

Kuvira gasped. “That’s so cool!”

Suyin passed Kuvira the meteor and she tried to bend it, but it didn’t work. “Try focusing on the earth within the metal.”

Kuvira breathed in deeply and moved her hand, the metal took form and Kuvira gasped. “It worked! I-I did it! I’m a metalbender!”

Suyin smiled. “Great job!”

 

 


	6. Family

Kuvira let out a grunt as she dove out of the line of fire. Wing and Wei advanced towards her and shot out several strips of metal. Kuvira bended them away and shot out some metal strips of her own. The twins shot out their metal cables and Kuvira stomped down hard on the cable. Wing tried to bend it away but it was no use. Kuvira grabbed onto the cable and wrapped it around her wrist. She motioned her wrist upward and the cable flew into the sky—taking Wing with it. Wing screamed and slammed into the ground. Wei shot out his metal cable and Kuvira shot out her own. Kuvira grabbed onto his cable and Wei grabbed onto hers. Kuvira yanked him forward and Wei slammed into the ground and he groaned. He lied on the ground clutching his ribs.

“Yes!” Kuvira pumped her fists in the air. “Metalbending champion.”

Kuvira walked over to Wei and helped him off the ground. They heard footsteps and Kuvira looked up. Su Beifong was walking toward them. 

“Alright everyone,” Suyin said. “Time to get cleaned up. I have a surprise for you all.”

Kuvira, Wing, Wei, and Huan followed Su into the house. When Kuvira got inside she instantly headed to the shower. When she was done, she met with everyone in the living room.

“What’s going on?” she asked Baatar Jr.

“I don’t know.” Baatar Jr. shrugged.

“Everyone, over here!” Suyin called.

Kuvira walked over to Su and she told them to stand with her and Baatar Sr. 

“What are we doing?” Kuvira asked.

“Having our family picture taken.” Su replied.

Kuvira nodded and looked at the camera.

“Smile.” The photographer said.

Kuvira smiled and there was a bright flash. Kuvira was finally part of the family. Or that’s what everyone thought.

 


	7. The Terror Within

_171 AG_

Kuvira watched with the rest of Team Avatar as the airship with Opal lifted up into the sky. When it was no longer visible she picked up her radio from its receiver and clicked on the call button. “Lock it down for the night.”

She set the radio back down on the receiver and left everyone else alone. She walked through the city and stopped at one of the bars. She went inside and sat down at the bar. The bartender took her order.

“Its a nice night for a drink, isn’t it?”

Kuvira turned around and smiled. One of her fellow guards stood behind her.

“Hello, Hong Li,” Kuvira said. “How are you?”

“I’m good, Captain. How are you?” Hong Li replied.

“You know, you can call me Kuvira,” Kuvira said. “We aren’t on shift right now.”

The bartender came back and gave Kuvira her drink and she took a sip. The alcohol burned her throat.

“Actually, Suyin wants us to work an extra shift tonight. She never said why though.”

Kuvira nodded. “Okay. Well, lets go.”

Kuvira paid for her drink and her and Hong Li walked out of the bar. Kuvira pulled out her flashlight and clicked it on. Hong Li did the same. They walked around the estate in silence. Although that silence was interrupted when they heard a series of shouts. Kuvira and Hong Li looked at each other and took off toward the sound.

_Crack! Crack! Boom!_

Kuvira saw a flash of white and her eyes went wide.

“Look out!” she yelled diving at Hong Li and knocking him to the ground.

The ground behind them exploded and dirt rained down on them.

“What was that?” Hong Li shouted.

Kuvira looked up and saw three people running away with a fourth person. She jumped up and ran toward them.

“Its The Red Lotus!” she yelled. “And they have Korra!”

Hong Li ran after her and Kuvira let out a yell. The combustionbender—P’Li—took a deep breath and shot out another attack. Kuvira jumped over the attack and raised her fists. Metal sheets formed a cage around them. Soon, the other guards joined her and they surrounded the moat.

“We have you surrounded! Its over! Release the Avatar!” Kuvira yelled.

A few moments later, lava began to melt the moat. Kuvira and Hong Li jumped away from the lava. In the middle of the moat stood Zaheer, Ghazan, Ming-Hua, and P’Li. P’Li shot out another attack and Kuvira jumped away from the blast. She shot out her metal cable and it wrapped around Zaheer. She retracted her cables—throwing him through the air. He unwrapped the cable and blasted Kuvira with air. She flew back and hit one of the cement pillars. She gasped in pain and fell to the ground. Luckily, her armor stopped any severe damage from being done to her body. She got to her feet and continued her attacks. She heard the metal domes above her open and she saw Lin and Suyin drop down on cables. She shot out some metal strips and was soon joined by Mako, Bolin, and Asami.

P’Li looked up at Su and Lin and prepared for an attack. Bolin shot out a rock just as P’Li let a pulse of energy loose. It hit her in the head and the explosion didn’t harm anyone. Lin picked Korra up and began metalbending the cable upward. Zaheer growled and flew up to get her on his staff. Su shot out several metal strips and they pierced his staff. He fell to the ground and Lin continued on upward. Zaheer shouted something Kuvira couldn’t hear and bent the smoke around himself and his group. When it cleared, Zaheer and his were gone.

Moments later Su’s voice crackled through the radio. “Guards! Search the entire Estate!”        

Kuvira lifted the radio to her lips. “Yes, ma’am!”

* * *

Kuvira searched high and low around the estate—looking everywhere for The Red Lotus, but they were nowhere to be found. With a sigh, Kuvira made her way back to Suyin’s house. The Matriarch was not going to be happy about this.

* * *

When Kuvira reached the house, she took a deep breath and pushed the doors open. She walked inside and went to the living room. Suyin was with her sister Lin and Korra was lying on the couch with Aiwei beside her. He gives her a couple of drops of liquid and she’s able to move her body.

“How could you let this happen?” Lin says, scowling at her sister. “You assured me that this was the most secure city in the world.”

“I don’t know.” Su says.

“Sorry to interrupt, but we searched the entire estate and all we found were fresh tire tracks.”

“Well keep looking.” Lin says.

Kuvira gave her a bow and ran off to find out where the Red Lotus is hiding.


	8. Accepting Fate

Kuvira looked at Korra with tears in her eyes. Korra’s eyes softened and she gave Kuvira’s hand another squeeze. The touch helped Kuvira relax. Korra pulled Kuvira into a hug and Kuvira sank into the embrace. She never wanted it to end. But deep down she knew that they couldn’t stay here forever. Korra stood up and helped Kuvira to her feet. Korra threw one of Kuvira’s arms over her shoulder and together they made their way back to the new spirit portal. Kuvira grunted in pain as they walked and Korra adjusted her hold on Kuvira.   
“I’ll ask them to send you to a healer once we get back to Republic City.” Korra said.

Kuvira grimaced in pain. “Thank you.”

They continued to walk and the spirit portal came into view.

“Are you ready?” Korra asked.

Kuvira took another look at the portal and took a deep breath trying to settle her nerves.

“Yeah,” Kuvira finally said. “I am.”

* * *

Tenzin stared in awe at the spirit portal. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw little specks of light appear and he turned to look at them. “The spirits have returned.”

Asami turned towards the spirit portal and gasped. “And so has Korra!”

Korra held Kuvira up and Bolin came running at them. “Ha! Ha! You’re okay!”

The thud of mecha-tanks filled the air a moment later.

“Release Kuvira! Or we will attack!” One of the soldiers demanded.

Kuvira pulled away from Korra—still clutching her ribs. “Stand down. This battle is over. I owe the Avatar my life. Her power is beyond anything I could ever hope to achieve,” she let her head drop. “I’ll accept whatever punishment the world sees fit.”

Lin walked over to her and put platinum cuffs on her wrists.

Kuvira turned to Su. “And Su, I’m sorry for all the anguish I’ve caused you and your family.”

“You’re going to answer for everything you’ve done.” Su said as she led Kuvira away.

After Kuvira was gone, Team Avatar went off to get ready for Varrick and Zhu Li’s wedding.


	9. Alone

“Welcome to your new home. At least until the Republic can figure out what to do with you.”

Kuvira barely heard the statement. She shuffled forward, the platinum shackles only allow her to move a couple of inches at a time. Her hands were shackled in front of her. She kept her gaze pointed at the floor. She didn’t even need to look up to know the cell was made of platinum. She could feel it—the floor, the walls, ceiling, the bars on the window, the bed frame, the table, the chair, everything. There was no better place to hold a metalbender.

The door closed behind them they entered, and the guard on the other side of the door locked it tight. They were taking no chances, even with the Chief of Police escorting her. Lin wasn’t even wearing her usual metal armor, only her formal cloth police uniform sans armor. It was a stark contrast to the plain tan prison uniform that Kuvira wore, her hair hanging loose and tangled around her shoulders.

“Sit,” Lin said, pointing to the chair next to the table.

Kuvira lowered herself into the chair on command. There was no point in being defiant now; she was already beaten. Lin unlocked her shackles with a platinum key. Lin gathered the chains and walked to the door.

“The Avatar told me that she’ll be by later to heal your injuries.” Lin said.

Kuvira nodded and Lin left the cell. The guard closed the door behind Lin when she exited and it locked shut.

Just like that, Kuvira was alone.

* * *

Kuvira sat quietly on the lone chair in the middle of her cell. She started at the window, watching the clouds roll across the darkened sky. As she watched them, however, another source of light pulled her attention away from the sky. The green and yellow wisps in the sky made it difficult to focus. Even all the way on this side of the city, the spirit portal made its presence known. The spirit portal… the sight of her defeat. The sight of her fall.

With a sigh, Kuvira pulled her attention away from the portal and shuffled over to the cell door and leaned her back against it, hands placed firmly on her knees and gaze pointed at the floor. Her vision shifted in and out of focus, but she didn’t move. She just… sat there. Silent. Still. Where had it all gone wrong? When had everything fallen to pieces? She thought back over the course of the past months, trying to put it all together… what had been her point of no return?

She didn’t need to think about it very long, of course. She knew what that moment had been. It hadn’t been when she took charge of the new Earth Empire. It hadn’t been when she crushed the Kiyoshi medal. It hadn’t been when she created the prison camps or developed the spirit weapon… no, that all paled in comparison to what she had done to Baatar. She could his voice in her head plain as when it came over the radio, telling her he loved her, that the enemy had him, that they should just end their campaign and go away together. And oh how she wanted to… deep down, she wanted nothing more.

But she _couldn’t._ She had come too far, done too much, had too many people looking up to her… and that had been her point of no return. When she had turned the spirit canon on the man she loved. On his family. On people she knew, had grown up with… people who had loved her. That was when everything had fallen to pieces.

Tears fell from her eyes and she hugged her knees. The pain was too much to bear.

When she couldn’t cry any longer, she wiped her eye and made her way over to the cell bed. She sat down and raised a hand to her head, eyes closed. She breathed deep, steady… and then she fell backwards onto the mattress. She needed to sleep.


	10. Reconciliation

Kuvira sat on her bed and stared out the window. She wasn’t sure how long she had been here for. A few weeks maybe. The first of many, she knew. While her official sentence had yet to be handed down, there was only so many ways that it could go; she would be in this cell for a long, long time. Would it be the last place she ever lived? It seemed likely. It was what she prepared for, at least, when she surrendered to the Avatar.

“You have a visitor.”

Kuvira blinked up at the ceiling a moment,  then tilted her gaze up to look at the door. She could see the guard’s face peering through the slot. His brow was low, eyes sharp… filled with contempt, she realized. Hardly surprising. What was surprising, though, was what he’d said. A visitor? Who…

When the door opened, Kuvira felt her gut lurch. She immediately sat straight up, a numb feeling choking its way into her throat. The person who came through the door was possibly the last person she ever expected. “Su?”

Suyin Beifong, that familiar face… a face that had looked at her with nothing but anger and disappointment in the past several months, a face that she expected never to see again. The look she gave this time was… not as harsh. Calm, even. But there was caution in her eyes, uncertainty. Hello, Kuvira.”

Kuvira swallowed, clenched her jaw. She didn’t even know how to respond. Here was the woman who had given her everything, the women who had taken her in, raised her, become her mother… and who she had betrayed so completely For the life of her, Kuvira couldn’t figure out why she would visit. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you,” was Su’s gentle reply. She had a way of being so neutering, even when there was something buried the tone, something… regretful.

“But… why?” she asked. “After everything I did…”

Su left the doorway and entered farther into the room—the cell door closed again behind her and locked. “I know what you did… and I know _why_ you did it.” A sigh left her lips, her gaze turned away. There was so much pain in those eyes. Pain that Kuvira knew she caused. “Its not easy to swallow, or move past. I don’t need to tell you that.” She finally looked back at Kuvira, with the ever so slightest hint of a smile at her lips. “But there’s no reason we can’t try.”

Kuvira blinked, an odd mix of confusion and surprise shifting through her head. She looked away—she couldn’t bear to look the women in the face, or rather she felt she didn’t deserve to. “Su, I tried to kill you. Your entire family. You only ever showed me kindness, and I betrayed you… all of you.” Her hands twisted together in her lap and she sunk her gaze lower, jaw clenching. “You’re the one who said that I’d pay for everything I’d done.”

“I was… angry when I said that,” Su replied, taking a step forward. She pulled up the chair from the table and turned it towards the bed, then took a seat right in front of Kuvira.

Kuvira chanced a look at the women, slowly, hesitantly. “You aren’t still?”

“Oh, I am. Maybe not as much...” Su breathed out a long sigh and glanced downward. There was that regret again, teaming deep in her eyes. “A part of me blames myself. Perhaps if I'd just stepped up and taken the responsibility when I could have, none of this would have happened. “

“Su...”

“I always thought of you as a daughter, Kuvira, ever since we took you in as a child.” Su tightened her own jaw and linked her fingers together, crossed her hands firmly in her lap. She swallowed, and then looked back up at Kuvira, into her eyes. “But I don't think I ever showed it enough. You were always so strong-willed... You never needed me doting on you like Opal, or Wing and Wei. That was my mistake... If I'd just loved you more, then maybe—”

“Su, stop.” The conviction in her own voice surprised even herself. Kuvira had to take a breath and steady herself before continuing. She had to... prepare herself, to face those tender green eyes that wouldn't look away. “None of this is your fault. The only person to blame here is me. I'm the one who took over the Earth Kingdom, I'm the one who put people in prison camps, I'm the one who killed… so many.”

A silence drifted between them. Su gazed back at her, unblinking, remaining silent, and finally, Kuvira couldn't bear it anymore. She again turned her head, closed her eyes. “I was so sure I was doing the right thing... Deep down I knew it was wrong, though. It felt wrong. But I thought I had no choice. I thought I was the leader my people needed, that I had to do everything I could for them, no matter the cost.” Kuvira parted her eyes just slightly, enough to stare down at the cold, smooth platinum of the floor. “What a lie that was. I always had a choice. I could have stopped—I should have stopped—but I didn't. I kept going until I was too far gone until I'd betrayed everything you ever taught me, and all the kindness and love you ever showed me... That's all on me. No one else.”

Su reached forward, placing a hand over one of Kuvira's. For a brief moment, that was how she left it, but when Kuvira didn't pull away, she gave a gentle squeeze. It was... comforting. “Kuvira... no. Please, let me acknowledge my own mistakes, too. I made so many with you, more than anyone. I might have thought of you as a daughter, and loved you like one, but I never expressed it how I should have. I pushed you away in the first place, and that's my fault.”

Kuvira didn't answer. She couldn't. She tried to form words, but nothing came out. It was true, what Su said. Even though she had a family after Su had taken her in, she never quite felt like one of them. She had still felt like an outsider... like she was somehow being shunned. It was something she didn't want to feel, especially towards a family that had gone out of their way to give her a life, but she had never been able to help it.

"I'm sorry, Kuvira," Su added, closing her eyes. Tears were starting to form behind the closed lids, brimming against her lashes.

“Su, I...” Kuvira swallowed again, her throat knotted and numb. She looked away again. “I am... so sorry. For everything I did. To you, to your family... to everyone. I...” Her mind suddenly flickered with a thought, and her stomach lurched again, nauseous. She snapped her eyes back to Su, and she couldn't hide the anxiousness, the panic. “Bataar. How... How is he? Is he... I mean, did I...?”

Su breathed outward, understanding coming to her face. She knew what Kuvira was asking—was Baatar still alive? “Junior's okay. Heartbroken, but otherwise...” She nodded, letting the sentence hang—she didn't need to tell Kuvira the kind of pain that Baatar felt. “He still has to face the consequences of his actions, same as you, but President Raiko offered him a deal to reduce his sentence. He'll be working with Future Industries to help rebuild the city, and with any luck, he'll be a free man in a few years.”

Another silence followed, this one heavier than before. Kuvira tried to retain her poise, but the relief that flooded her face was plainly visible. That relief soon shifted, however. She felt herself slipping, felt her throat tightening, lips quivering. No... no, don't do it. Don't show weakness.

“I... I loved him. I still...” She slipped further and she grabbed at the plain tan pantleg of her prison uniform, fingers knotted in the fabric. “How I could ever turn on him like that... I thought I was making some kind of noble sacrifice for a greater cause, but there was nothing noble about it. I was blinded by my ambitions, so much that I betrayed the man I loved. I almost killed him, and I...” She slipped further still and forced her eyes to close. It didn't help—the tears leaked out regardless. “I ruined everything. I...”

She didn't last any longer. In that moment, the esteemed military commander, the Great Uniter, the tyrant... it all vanished. All that was left was Kuvira, the orphaned girl who lost everything, and if there was anyone who she could break down in front of like this, it was Su, the mother she never had... the mother she didn't deserve. She fell forward, every intent on letting herself drop to the floor and lose herself in her misery, but she didn't make it that far. A loving pair of arms caught her, a pair of arms that hugged her tight the same as they had so many times before when she was younger and when she had needed it most.

“Shhh, shhh...” Su whispered, holding her close. “Let it out. I've got you.”

* * *

And let it out she did. Kuvira wasn't sure how long she sat cradled there in Su's arms, but she cried until she couldn't cry anymore until the tears stopped flowing and her eyes ran dry. Slowly, arduously, she gathered herself together again. Her breathing steadied, and her throat no longer felt like there was an apple lodged inside it. With a few deep breaths, she sat straighter and Su let her go.

Another silence.

Kuvira breathed deep again and then wiped her eyes—they were sticky and probably bloodshot. She had never been happier not to have a mirror. “You shouldn't even be here, Su... I don't deserve your forgiveness. For all the pain I've caused your family...”

“Our family.” Su rested a hand on her shoulder, and never took her eyes away. “You were always a part of it... and you still are.”

The confusion filled her once again. Kuvira's breath stammered and she shook her head. “How... How can you even say that?”

“It may take time... a lot of time, to work through this, but if there's anything I've learned during my life it's that nothing is impossible, and everyone deserves a second chance. I know I don't have it in me to hold a grudge against someone who truly shows remorse.” She glanced away briefly, sighing. “The others... I can't speak for. They may forgive you, they may not. We'll know in time. There is... a lot of healing to be done.”

“And what about all the other people I've hurt? All the families I've destroyed?” Kuvira couldn't just let this go. This kind of... kindness, compassion... it wasn't something she deserved, not even from Su. Especially not from Su. “What if I had killed Baatar? Or... Or Opal? Or Lin? Would we even be having this conversation now? Would you be trying to forgive me then?”

Su didn't say anything, at first. She looked back at Kuvira and parted her lips, as if to reply, but stopped short. A thoughtful breath escaped her mouth, and then she turned away again. The silence was enough, though; to Kuvira, it spoke volumes.

No. Of course, that was the answer.

“Fortunately, that didn't happen,” Su said, at last. She looked back again at Kuvira, with a renewed tenderness in her eyes. “There's no use dwelling on what-ifs. It's true... There are a lot of people who probably won't ever forgive you for the things you've done, and that's something that your own conscience will have to deal with. But we're not talking about them right now. We're talking about us.” She reached forward once more, and this time took both of Kuvira's hands in her own. She didn't pause like before, instead immediately giving a firm squeeze. “Kuvira... I love you. I always will, same as any of my children. No matter what's happened, you're still a part of this family... you're still a daughter to me. It'll be hard, and it'll take a lot of time... but I'm here for you.”

Kuvira swallowed, blinked back at the woman. She almost felt herself slipping again, but she caught herself. Still, there was no sense of conviction or strength in her own voice... only shock. And maybe a bit of sadness. “Su, I... I don't even know what to say.”

“You don't need to say anything,” Su replied. Her smile grew larger, and this time it carried with it a warmth that Kuvira never thought she'd see again. “Just think. And maybe try to find some peace.”


	11. Understanding

_Twenty-five years._

Her sentence had finally been handed down; she would remain here in this cell for the next two decades. A small part of her was devastated. That was a long time to be trapped in a cage, so much of life she'd miss out on. A larger part of her, though, was actually relieved. Satisfied, even. For one, she wouldn't be rotting in a cell for the rest of her life. She'd be fifty when she finally got out... and that was still a point where she could pick up her life again, and find a better purpose.

Of course, she had Su to thank for that. It was only because of Su's persuasion that Raiko and the deciding committee backed down from a life sentence. It left Kuvira with a peace of mind, knowing that one day, however far in the future, she would be free again. And of course, knowing that Su had fought for her. The day after Su's visit, Kuvira had awoken and feared that it had been a dream. How could it have been anything but, after all? Her fears had proven unfounded, though. Just as Su had said, she was there for Kuvira.

“Sheet change. Against the wall.”

Kuvira blinked up at the ceiling and breathed out a sigh. She didn't want to get up, content for now just lying there on the bed and thinking. But she knew she had to. So, she sat upright and scooted herself off the bed, then walked over to the far wall and leaned against it with her hands spread out. The cell door opened a moment later, and a pair of guards entered. Again, no metalbending uniform for either of them.

One guard carried fresh sheets for the bed, the other a change of clothes for Kuvira. While his partner began changing the bedsheets, the one with the spare prison uniform wandered over next to Kuvira and held out the bundle. “Fresh clothes.” And then he dropped them at her feet. “There you go.”

Kuvira glanced at him but said nothing. She could feel the hate seething from this man, and she knew that every ounce of it was deserved.

“I don't think we've been properly introduced,” the guard stated. His arms folded and he leaned against the wall next to her, smirking. “My name's Arrluk. This here is Tonrar.” He gestured to the second guard, who was just now finishing spreading out the clean sheet over the mattress. “We're the guards charged with watching your cell during the day.”

Kuvira already knew that; she'd seen them from that little window on her cell door every time one of them decided to check on her or give her one of her two meals a day. This was the first she'd heard their names, though.

When she didn't answer, Arrluk narrowed his eyes at her. “There a problem?”

Kuvira realized she had been staring at him, and promptly turned to face the wall again. “No. No problem.”

“Oh, I know.” Arrluk let out a mocking cackle and then gestured to his face. A long scar twisted across it, starting up at his scalp and slashing down around his cheek to his jaw. It still looked a bit fresh, as though it was new. “You were looking at my scar, weren't you? Yeah, I get it. Sure is a sight, huh?”

Kuvira still said nothing. She stared straight ahead at the platinum wall in front of her; if she stared at it any harder, she might start burning a hole through it. A sinking feeling churned in her gut, and deep down she knew where this conversation was turning.

“You know, I have you to thank for it,” Arrluk stated, with a matter of fact nod. “Half a building collapsed on me when I was evacuating some of the remaining citizens from the city during your attack. I'm lucky to be alive, really. You know who wasn't so lucky?” Here it was. “My friends, on one of the United Forces Navy ships you destroyed with your giant mecha. And you know who else?” He glanced over to Tonrar, who had since joined him, saying nothing but glaring at Kuvira. “Tonrar's brother. He was in that outpost you blew up on your way here.”

Kuvira lowered her gaze to the floor. She breathed in deep and held it, eyes closing. She braced herself. “I'm sorry...”

Arrluk scoffed. “Oh, you hear that, Tonrar? She's sorry. You know what, I'm sorry, too.” A crack ripped out through the platinum cell. “Sorry we have to use our plastic batons for this!”

The blow struck Kuvira's ribs hard, surging a sharp pain through her. A second crack, and this time her knees buckled. Still, she didn't fall. A third strike, then a fourth, and this time she collapsed, holding her arms around herself. The assault didn't stop there, though. Tonrar joined in now, and the two guards rained down blows from their police batons until they tired themselves out, sweating and huffing.

Kuvira lied there, curled into a ball and shuddering. She could barely feel her torso now, just one giant pulse of agony, as though her ribs were one entire bruise. A cough left her lips, and a few stray droplets of crimson stained the otherwise pristine platinum floor. She kept her eyes squinted shut, unable to open them. That didn't stop the sting of tears from finding its way past her eyelids.

“Heh, Great Uniter, huh? Not so great now, are you?” Arrluk finally turned back to the door and exited the cell. Tonrar gave one last thwack to Kuvira's backside with his baton and then followed.

The sound of the lock clicking into place reached Kuvira's ears, and then consciousness slipped away, blanketing her in darkness.

* * *

Kuvira wasn't entirely sure how long she passed out, but sometime during the stupor that followed, of constantly slipping in and out of consciousness, she managed to drag herself back over to the bed. Once she finally sprawled out atop the mattress, she lied there and didn't move. Night came eventually, she remembered that much. Then day. Then... night again? She didn't know.

“Visitor.”

Kuvira's eyes flickered open. She somehow managed to glance towards the door to see the face staring at her—not Arrluk, or Tonrar, either. So it had to be night then, or at least after the shift change. With a grunt, she turned towards the window. Sunset... almost night, then.

When the cell door opened, she forced herself to sit upright. She paused abruptly halfway there and winced, a pained breath bursting past her lips. No matter which way she moved, her ribs screamed at her. But she couldn't let it show, couldn't give them the satisfaction. When she finally made it up straight, she slouched forward and breathed out. At least if she stayed like this and didn't move, it didn't hurt as much.

“Hey.”

Kuvira blinked. She knew that voice... It was forever burned into her memory. But what was she doing here? Hesitation followed, but soon she looked up at the entrance. “Avatar Korra?”

“Just Korra is fine.” The Avatar smiled, then came forward; the cell door slammed shut behind her. She was carrying a small plastic tray, on which had been set a teapot and two teacups.

“Korra, then...” Kuvira couldn't think to say anything else, at first. She just watched the Avatar standing in front of her, still smiling. Smiling... Was she mocking her? “What... what are you doing here?”

“Well, I thought maybe you could use a visitor,” Korra replied, with a small shrug. She held the tray out, offering it to her. “You know, just someone to talk to? I brought tea.”

“I...” She glared at the teapot—as if afraid it would jump up and attack her at any moment. Even if she wanted to take it, though, she couldn't. The moment she tried to reach out, her pain would show. “I'm not in the mood for tea.”

“You sure? It's Jasmine.” Korra's face scrunched a bit in concern, and yet her face somehow never lost its optimism. “Su mentioned that it's your favorite. This is a special brew, actually. A friend of mine taught me how to make it.”

Kuvira said nothing, merely looked away.

“Well, okay then.” Korra turned and set the tray down on the table. Then, she pulled the chair forward and sat in front of the bed. “I'll just leave it there in case you change your mind.”

“Ava... Korra. Why are you visiting me?” she asked. “Of all people...”

Korra shrugged. “Like I said, I just thought you might want someone to talk to. It must get lonely in here... And everyone needs a friend, right?”

Kuvira's brow pushed together, and she tilted her gaze back at the Avatar. “But we're… not friends.”

“No, maybe not. At least not right now.” Korra folded her hands in her lap and took in a deep breath. “Possibly never at all, but we'll never know if we don't try.”

Her words were met with silence. Kuvira simply stared at her, all manner of puzzled thoughts swimming in her head.

“I think...” Korra said, lifting her eyebrows ever so slightly. There was that smile again, too. “...if we'd met under different circumstances, we could have good friends.”

“Well, we didn't meet under different circumstances,” Kuvira reminded, with a huff. “We met under these ones. As enemies.”

Korra nodded. Her smile faded, but expression still carried a lingering gentleness. “I know. And don't get me wrong, you've done a lot of horrible things that I hate. You've hurt a lot of innocent people, even people I know. But I'm also the Avatar, and it's my duty to show compassion and understanding to everyone, even you. So, that's why I'm here.”

Kuvira bowed her head. “Some people don't deserve that kind of understanding, even from the Avatar. Whether it is your duty or not.”

“Su told me that you really do regret the things you did,” Korra said. “That's good, you know. It means you're not just some evil dictator...and I don't believe you ever were. You're a person who made terrible mistakes, and now you're answering for those mistakes. That's the first step in bettering yourself.”

“And what do you know about bettering yourself?” Kuvira glared up at her again, this time with focus, with intensity. “You're the Avatar. You've always been loved and looked up to. You've always been on top. And you've never made the kinds of mistakes I have.”

That damn smile again. It didn't seem as mocking as before, though. Was that...empathy that the Avatar was trying to convey? “I think you'd be surprised at what I've been through, and the things I've done. You remember the spirit portals I opened? Yeah, well... That was only after I turned against most of my family and almost brought about ten thousand years of darkness at the hands of a Dark Avatar. Who also happened to be my uncle. And who I had to...”

Korra stopped a moment, shifting her gaze downward. This look was different. It was distant...sad. “Well, I had to stop him.” With a deep breath, she looked up again, back into Kuvira's eyes. “You think I'm this...perfect figure who can do no wrong, who everyone loves unconditionally no matter what. But you're wrong. I've made more mistakes than anyone, and there are still a lot of people out there who hate me for it.”

Kuvira swallowed and stared into the Avatar's eyes. There was no mistaking it this time—empathy. Compassion. “I… didn't know that. About your uncle… and your family. I'm sorry.”

“There's a lot you don't know about me, just like there's a lot I don't know about you,” Korra said, with a firm nod. “But… if you like, we can teach each other. I'll help you understand more about me if you help me understand more about you. I'd like to learn.”

Kuvira breathed inward and gently turned to glance over at the table. Her gaze settled on the teapot and she finally let out her breath. “I think... I'll take that tea now.”

* * *

In the hours that followed, Kuvira sat with the Avatar and talked… just talked. Well, and drank the tea. Kuvira didn't say it out loud, but it was actually some of the best Jasmine tea she'd ever had—whoever had taught Korra this recipe knew what he was doing. The two spoke of nearly everything, about both their lives—their past, where they came from, the lessons they had learned along the way, and the mistakes they'd made.

Kuvira talked about her childhood, from before her parents had abandoned her. She had been six when they left her on the doorstep of an orphanage, and she'd been young enough then that she couldn't understand why they would do something like that. Yet, she had been old enough that she could still remember them now. And it still hurt. She had spent the next year at the orphanage, never fitting in with the other kids, always keeping to herself. During the following year, she had run away, taken to the streets, only barely surviving.

Then, sometime after she turned eight, Su found her, took her in. After that… she'd had a life. It took a lot of time to adjust to a new family, but it had been nice belonging somewhere, even if deep down she knew she wasn't one of them. As long as she had a roof over her head and people around her who cared about her, that was enough.

Korra, on the other hand, spoke about her life growing up trapped in the walls of the White Lotus compound. It had been like a prison, she said. trapped inside those walls, White Lotus guards watching her every move, never being allowed to go anywhere or do anything. In a way, Kuvira supposed it really was a lot like a prison… though, now that she was experiencing prison firsthand, she couldn't say she wouldn't prefer the White Lotus compound.

Korra followed that with her fight against the Equalists and Amon, and then the Water Tribe Civil War, and Vaatu, and Unalaq. And then, of course, there had been Zaheer and the Red Lotus, her poisoning… and the three years of recovery that followed, more in-depth this time than when she had mentioned it while they were in the spirit world. Kuvira found herself listening in silence, captivated. Korra had been right—there was so much more to her than Kuvira knew, or had ever considered.

By the time they both finished, the sun had long since vanished from the sky, replaced by the moon and stars, and the faint glow of the new spirit portal in the distance. Korra set her teacup back down on the tray next to her on the table, though she had finished her last cup of tea ages ago. “So, you're a dancer? That sounds really neat. I wasn't able to catch much of it during my time in Zaofu, but from what I saw the style is beautiful. If you're half as good a dancer as you are a bender, then you must be amazing.”

“I... I'm alright,” Kuvira said, with a shrug. She stared down into her empty teacup. “I mean, I was in charge of the recitals, but that was because of my leadership. There were others on the team who could twirl circles around me.”

Korra lifted an eyebrow and leaned forward a little, flashing a smirk.”Hey, don't sell yourself short. I just complimented you, you know. Try to accept it?”

Kuvira looked up again, and she couldn't find the will to resist that goofy Avatar grin. “...thank you.”

“I've always wanted to try dancing,” Korra said. “I mean, I can do a waltz—barely—but not your kind of dancing. I hear it requires a good deal of strength.”

She nodded. “Not just strength, though. Balance, posture, poise... You need to be graceful.”

Korra snorted out a laugh. “Heh, well if there's anything I'm not, it's graceful. Just ask Asami.” She sighed out softly and then straightened herself, hands in her lap. “But maybe you could teach me sometime?”

“I'm afraid you'll be waiting a long time for that.” Kuvira looked away, her gaze shifting to the darkened cell. “This is my home for the next twenty years, and there's hardly enough room in here for dancing lessons.”

“Well, then some day?”

Kuvira looked at the Avatar again. A small silence followed, but it was a calming silence. Soothing, even. “Some day… maybe.”

Korra smiled warmly, then finally stood from her seat. She stretched out her arms and yawned, then leaned forward to take the empty teacup from Kuvira. “Alright, well I should probably get going now. Asami will kill me if I'm late for dinner again. I promise I'll come visit again soon.”

“Right…” Kuvira watched as the Avatar gathered the tray together and started towards the cell door. “Goodbye, Avatar Korra.”

Korra glanced back over her shoulder. Once again, that smile. This time... it was nice. Welcoming. “Just Korra, remember?”

“Of course.” Kuvira nodded and moved slightly on the edge of the bed. She winced as her ribs flared up in pain again, but she stifled it before it became noticeable. “And Korra?”

The Avatar stopped in front of the open doorway and again looked back at her. “Hmm?”

“Thanks for the tea.”


	12. Confrontation

The first year of Kuvira's prison sentence went by relatively quickly. At least, quicker than she would have thought. Had she been alone, lost to her own thoughts, it probably would have been much slower. But she wasn't alone… at least, not always. True to her word, Korra had visited the following week after her first visit. Then again the next week, and every week thereafter. Sometimes they talked—about life, about news, what was going on in the world, little but helpful things. Other times, they just sat and drank tea in silence. Nothing needed to be said in those moments; the company itself was enough for Kuvira to enjoy.

Then, there were the times that Korra brought a Pai Sho board. The Avatar wasn't exactly skilled at the game, but Kuvira was excellent. Though her cell was too small to teach Korra any kind of dancing, she could at least teach her Pai Sho. Little by little, Korra improved, and every new game was a bit more of a challenge than the last. Korra also brought little gifts sometimes—useless knick-knacks that had no function, but were still nice to look at. Nothing metal, of course. That was still against the rules.

Korra also brought books—so many books. Kuvira had never been much of a reader, always preferring more physical activities growing up, but here now, trapped in her small cell, they were a lifesaver. They helped pass the time and gave her mind an escape. Every new week was a little easier to get through because of those books, even when she had read most of them multiple times. When time went by faster… it meant Korra's visits came sooner.

When she really sat down and thought about it, it felt so strange. She and the Avatar had started out as bitter enemies, something she had only expected to continue now that she was in prison. But just the opposite had happened. Kuvira found herself looking forward to each of Korra's visits, and genuinely enjoying their time together. Korra was… a friend, she realized, the only real friend she had. Somehow, someway.

Suyin continued her visits, as well, whenever she could take time away from Zaofu. Those visits were irregular; sometimes, she'd come several times a month, even staying days at a time, and other times it could be six weeks or more between visits. Still, it was often enough to remind Kuvira that Su still cared and that she still had a family she belonged to.

According to Su, the Earth Kingdom—or rather, the United Earth Republic, as it was now called—had stabilized since past events. The monarchy had been done away with, in favor of elected officials that worked for the people, rather than oppressed them. Zaofu, meanwhile, had been allowed to maintain its independence as a sovereign city, with Su continuing to lead it as its head of state.

A couple of times, Su had brought Huan with her. Kuvira never could tell how he felt most of the time, but he seemed to... not hold any hard feelings against her. Then again, Huan seldom showed hard feelings towards anything for very long. It was nice, though, being able to see another of her family, even if only briefly. He had even given her one of his paintings to help liven up her cell. Kuvira had no idea exactly what the abstract image was supposed to be—something about the nature of true self-expression—but she had accepted it regardless.

On Su's latest visit, Wing and Wei had accompanied her. That visit had been… awkward. Neither twin had said anything, instead, standing at the back of the cell, while Kuvira and Su conversed. Even when Kuvira had tried to talk to them, to apologize for everything, they had only averted their eyes, remained on guard. She could read them well enough, and knew how they felt even they didn't speak... would they ever forgive her?

Aside from that, Baatar Sr. had visited once with Su, though he had never entered the actual cell. He had looked through the slot a couple of times, but like Wing and Wei he never said anything. Up until this point, there had been no Opal, and certainly no Baatar Jr. Even if Junior wasn't serving his own time right now, Kuvira very much doubted he would visit her. Of all the Beifongs, he had to hate her most of all.

“Hey, Great Uniter. You got a visitor.”

Kuvira didn't need to look up to know who the guard was. The sound of the voice, the bite in his tone, the way he mockingly still referred to her as the Great Uniter... it could only be Arrluk. Still, she glanced up from her book—a new and particularly captivating one that Korra had only recently brought her, entitled The Siege of Ba Sing Se—just in time to meet Arrluka's eyes before the slot in the cell door closed shut.

The beatings from he and Tonrar had continued after the first. Fortunately, they were never quite as severe as that first one, and they weren't too often. After all, they'd only raise suspicion if they kept her constantly passed out in pain, or beat her so bad that she needed a healer. They knew she wouldn't say anything, though—and why should she? It was a deserving punishment, at the hands of people she had hurt during her conquest, and she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of breaking down and ratting them out. As long as they kept their beatings within a certain limit, they could get away with it as long as they wanted, and they knew it.

But for now, she shoved the thought of Arrluk out of her head. Instead, her thoughts shifted to her current visitor. It was too early to be Korra; the avatar wasn't scheduled to visit for another few days. She knew it couldn't be Su, either. During her last visit, Su had said she'd be caught up in political meetings until next month. So then who...?

The woman who walked through the cell door when it opened was unfamiliar to her. At least... mostly. She thought she might have seen her somewhere before—that long dark hair, distinctive eyeshadow, and neat red and black jacket certainly seemed to be ringing a faint bell somewhere in the distance—but she couldn't quite place her.

The door locked behind the woman, who took several steps forward but stopped halfway to the table, where Kuvira was sitting. “Hello...” Her voice was soft, almost passive—not out of shyness, but out of caution. Or resentment.

“I... do I know you?” Kuvira asked, with a narrow gaze. She continued trying to identify this woman, but nothing came to her.

“My name is Asami,” the woman said. “Asami Sato.”

The name finally made everything click. Kuvira's eyebrows lifted and instantly she knew—Asami Sato, head of Future Industries and girlfriend of Avatar Korra. “You're... that Asami.”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“So then... why are you here?”

Asami's eyes flickered a little, moving from one side of the cell to the other. She had yet to actually look straight at Kuvira, her gaze instead examining the various books and knick-knacks that filled the small space. After her pause drew out much longer than could be considered comfortable, she finally looked to Kuvira. “I'm here because of my father.”

Kuvira furrowed her brow, and thought for a moment. Asami's father would be... Hiroshi Sato, inventor of the satomobile. She knew that much, at least. But what she didn't know was why Asami would visit her because of him. “I'm afraid I don't understand... I didn't know your father.”

“No, I guess you wouldn't, would you?” Asami breathed in deeply, and then slowly let it out. “He was in the hummingbird suit that you crushed with your giant mecha, the day you invaded Republic City.”

“He was...” Kuvira felt a cold, sinking feeling twist inside her gut. She clenched her jaw and glanced downward at the open pages of her book, but she didn't read anything. She couldn't, as her vision shifted out of focus. “...oh.”

“Yeah,” Asami said, her tone taking on a slightly harder, more dominating tone. “Oh.”

Kuvira continued staring down at the book for a moment, until she finally forced herself to to look back up at Asami. An air of tension thickened between them, so strong that she could practically feel it pressing down on her, as though it were some tangible, physical force. “I don't understand then, why you came here. Why you would want to see me...”

“I had to see you,” she said, arms folding across her chest. Her eyes narrowed, brow lowered—anger, hate... emotions that were so familiar now to Kuvira. “I had to... to face you. I've been stressed a lot lately, and I think...a lot of it has to do with losing my father. So I had to confront his killer, look her in the eyes, and see...” Her voice trailed off, and suddenly her demeanor sank into something... sadder, more uncertain.

Kuvira waited a moment, expecting more to follow. When Asami didn't say anything, she tilted her head and asked, “...see what?”

A heavy sigh eased its way out of Asami's lips. She shook her head, closed her eyes. “I don't know. I came here expecting to find some kind of monster—that's what you imagine when you think of the person who killed your father. A monster. But you're just... a woman.”

“What do you want me to say?” Kuvira said. “That I'm sorry?” The question was earnest, sincere. She was sorry... but she knew that saying it right now to this woman would mean nothing.. “ Would that even make a difference?”

“No...” Asami admitted, hanging her head. “No, it wouldn't.”

Another long pause followed, a silence so uncomfortable that Kuvira shifted several times in her seat and looked away, half hoping that the sun would explode to end this conversation. Her stomach continued to twist in knots, more with each passing second; any longer and she might just turn and vomit.

After what felt like an eternity, Asami spoke again, gaze lifting ever so slightly to look at Kuvira. “Korra said that I should try to forgive you, somehow. Not because I think you deserve it, but because I deserve peace, and I can't have that peace as long as I'm holding onto this hate... this anger.”

“That does sound like the Avatar...” she uttered, just barely meeting Asami's look with her own.

Asami huffed out a breath and shook her head. Kuvira could see her trying to retain her poise, but that kind of emotion was difficult to mask—the sadness, the tears, the pain... this woman was hurting. Deeply. “Now that I'm here, though, looking at you, I don't... I can't. I can't forgive you. I know Korra is the Avatar, and that's what she does, but I'm not like that. Not as much as she is, anyway. I can't just look past what you did, what you took from me.”

Kuvira bowed her head, expression sinking. She closed her eyes and offered only a single nod of her head. “You're right. You shouldn't forgive me. Nothing I say or do, no amount of apologies or regrets will ever make things better for you. I can't ever give back what I took from you, or what I took from so many other people. I can feel remorse over it, I can regret my actions, I can try to become better because of it... but none of that changes the things I've done, or restores the lives I've destroyed.”

Another pause, another silence. Kuvira didn't look up, but she didn't need to in order to feel Asami's eyes staring at her. She could feel the condemnation seething from the woman, engulfing her... she deserved every bit of it.

“Do you know how hard it is?” Asami asked. Her voice quivered just faintly, but not faintly enough that she could hide it. “Knowing that Korra visits you here so often, that she's… friends with you? Just saying it out loud... It hurts. I know she's the Avatar, and I know she thinks it's her duty, and she says you're trying to change, but damn it.... you killed my father.”

Kuvira finally chanced a look back at Asami. When their eyes met again this time, she didn't see the hate or rage that she'd been expecting—there was only sadness, and grieving. This woman... she showed such remarkable restraint and reservation, and not just because of the pain so clearly evident on her face. Asami had every right, every reason, to yell, or scream, or lash out, and yet instead she was... calm.

“With all due respect, Miss Sato,” she said, sitting up just a little straighter in her seat, “I think that's something you need to talk to her about, not me.”

Asami didn't respond—she merely lowered her gaze and stared at the floor, while her fingers tightened along the hem of her skirt.

Kuvira sighed and glanced over at the window. It was still early morning, with the sun just starting to come up over the horizon and the sky painted a brilliant combination of red and orange. She lost herself in that sky. “I am... grateful for the Avatar's visits. She's the only one who does visit me regularly. Su does whenever she can get away from Zaofu, but that's not as often. But Korra...”

She closed her eyes, and the faintest hint of a smile curled its way on her lips. “She's made my time here easier to bear, and I owe her a lot for that—she's an incredible person, more so than I ever would have thought.”

Her smile then faded, and she sighed again. Opening her eyes, Kuvira looked down at one of the piles of books on the floor. “But... I also know how she feels about you. She's talked about you before, you know. A lot. I know she loves you... and the last thing I want to do is ruin yet another person's life by coming between that. If it's that hard on you, if it hurts you that much... then perhaps Korra shouldn't visit me anymore.”

Asami's jaw tightened. “I just... I don't even know. I don't want to force anything on Korra or start dictating who she can and can't be friends with. And yet...”

“And yet you hate me.”

Asami nodded, eyes closing. “Yeah.”

Kuvira looked up, finally. This time, she gazed firmly at the other woman, no hesitation, no aversion. “Then talk to her. If she loves you half as much as I think she does, she'll understand... I understand.”

Asami breathed deep but kept her eyes closed. A slight wetness formed behind her eyelids, just barely leaking out onto her long, full lashes. “I... need to go.” She turned from Kuvira and walked hastily towards the cell door.

“For what it's worth, Miss Sato...” Kuvira exhaled, and then glanced down at her book again—suddenly, the story within those pages seemed somehow unimportant. “I hope you find the peace you're looking for. However you need to.”

* * *

“That was very good, Korra,” Tenzin said, with a proud smile. “Your airbending is coming along splendidly.”

Korra returned the smile and then jumped up from the temple rooftop. With a few spins, she slowed her descent with a gentle gust of air and landed perfectly on her feet in front of him. “Thanks, Tenzin. I have a good teacher.”

“I'm glad to know you've been taking our lessons seriously,” he replied, with a nod. “You've come a long way since you first arrived on Air Temple Island.”

Korra laughed. “Yeah, remember when I couldn't airbend at all? Man, that seems like another lifetime.” Before Tenzin could answer her, Korra's gaze moved past him to the dock. “Oh! The ferry's here!” That, of course, meant Asami coming to take her to dinner. Flipping up her glider into her grasp, she spread the wings and then took off with a burst of air. “See you later, Tenzin!”

By the time Korra landed at the dock, Asami was already stepping off the ferry. She immediately retracted her glider and ran up to give her a tight hug. “Hey!” She pulled back just a bit and added a kiss, planting their lips firmly together for a few seconds. When she finally pulled away, she smiled and eased out a tired breath. “It's so good to see you. I like training with Tenzin and all, but man can it get exhausting after a while. How was your day?”

Asami shifted slightly, one arm coming across herself so she could grab at her other arm. “It was... good. Just another day at the office.”

Korra lifted an eyebrow. Something seemed... off. “Is everything okay? You seem a little... I don't know, down.”

“Hmm? No, I'm fine, I just...” Asami sighed, then pressed her fingers against her eyes. It was pointless trying to dance around the subject, especially with Korra. “Korra, we need to talk.”

She felt her stomach jump. 'We need to talk' was never a phrase that one wanted to hear, at least not in that tone. “Uh oh... That doesn't sound good.” She swallowed, then reached down to take Asami's hand in her own. “Walk with me?”

Asami interlocked their fingers and then nodded, allowing Korra to guide them along down the dock and farther onto Air Temple Island.

“So...” she said, trying to remain calm. As far as she knew, everything between them was fine... she hadn't even been late to any of their dates recently. “What's this about?”

“Well, it's...” Asami paused, while her thumb idly stroked up against Korra's hand out of habit. “It's Kuvira.”

“Oh...that.” Korra stopped walking, and hung her head. She should have known this conversation was coming. “Honestly, I'm a little surprised it took this long.”

“So am I, actually,” Asami replied. “I was trying to move past it...or at least ignore it. But I can't ignore it anymore. Korra, she killed my father.”

Korra turned to her, held a hand to her shoulder. “I know... I haven't forgotten. I never will.”

“And yet you still visit her.” Asami's own hand came up to join Korra's on her shoulder. She squeezed it, trying to take comfort in the touch. “Every week, without fail. You're...friends with her. Do you know how that makes me feel?”

“I...” Korra's eyes moved away, downward. She frowned, as a wave of guilt started to gnaw at her. “No, I don't. I could say that I do, but I couldn't begin to imagine being in your situation.”

“I know you think you have to do this because you're the Avatar,” Asami said, “but... I don't know how to handle it, knowing that you visit my father's killer, drink tea with her, bring her books, play...Pai Sho with her, I...”

Korra's throat went numb when she saw the tears in Asami's eyes. She immediately reached out and took both of her girlfriend's hands in her own, held them tenderly, lovingly. “Asami, the last thing I want to do is keep hurting you. I know I'm doing good with Kuvira, helping her to change, but... I can stop. If it makes you happy, I don't need to continue my visits.”

That, of course, would most likely devastate Kuvira in turn, but there was no way around it. Asami was the most important person in Korra's life right now, and nothing was worth jeopardizing what they had.

“No, Korra, that's the thing...” Asami looked away and shook her head, as if she couldn't believe the next words that came out of her own mouth. “I don't want you to stop visiting Kuvira.”

“What?” Korra blinked, now thoroughly confused. “But why? I thought...”

“I went to visit her today, before I went to work this morning.”

“You...” Korra's eyes widened, and she stood straighter. A steady wave of understanding washed over her. “That must have been so hard for you.”

“It was,” she answered, with a nod. “Every time I looked at her, I saw my father dying again in front of my eyes. I... I tried to take your advice and forgive her, so I could have peace, but I just...I couldn't do it.”

“I am so sorry.” Korra lifted a hand and held it gently against Asami's cheek. “I should have been there for you.”

Asami shook her head. “No, this was something I had to do myself. When I went there, I wasn't even sure what to expect. I thought...I thought she'd be just like I imagined her in my head—a cold, hate-filled dictator who didn't care about anyone but herself.” A disbelieving sort of laugh exited her lips as she held a hand against her forehead. “But that's not what I found at all. Kuvira is... she's just a person like anyone else, and she seemed to know just how terrible the things were that she did.”

Removing her hand from her forehead, Asami swallowed and let her gaze drop down to the ground. “She wasn't the heartless killer I made her out to be, and I guess that made me angry, in a way? I just so badly wanted her to be cold, and cruel...it would have made hating her so much easier.” She frowned, eyes closing. “That sounds so terrible.”

“No, it doesn't,” Korra stated. She held her hands to Asami's shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. “No one's trying to erase what Kuvira did to you and so many others. You have every right to feel the way you do. ”

Asami nodded, though she didn't look entirely convinced. “Thanks...”

“But I still don't understand why that means you think I should keep visiting her.”

“Because you're right,” she replied, with a simple shrug. “You are doing good with her. The person I met at that prison wasn't the same person who rampaged through Republic City in a giant mech suit, not entirely. And I know that at least part of that is because of you. You're helping her atone, to become a better person. As much as I don't like it...I think that's worth my discomfort.”

“Asami...” Korra said, again resting a hand against the woman's cheek. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” This time, Asami looked at Korra with conviction, with certainty. “I thought about it a lot and that's the conclusion I came to. I'm sure.”

Korra nodded slowly, then leaned in and gave Asami another kiss. This one, she held longer before finally pulling back, and when she did she kept their foreheads pressed together. “I love you, Asami... And if you ever start to feel differently, you only need to tell me.”

“I know.” Asami let her eyes close again, and she held her hand gently against Korra's cheek. “I love you, too, Korra.”


	13. Breaking Point

Kuvira sat in her bed, leaning back against the wall with one knee propped up, a book resting against it. She smiled as she read the pages, flipping them with one hand. Kuvira was a little surprised with herself, at just how...content she was in prison. In here, she couldn't hurt anyone else. The people who hated her, and who she had hurt, had the satisfaction of knowing she was paying for her crimes. She had her time with Korra, and her visits from Su. She had her books, and her meditation, and dancing in the spirit world, the Pai Sho games... The next thirteen and a half years might not be so bad.

The sound of the slot on her cell door opening drew her attention away from the book and her thoughts. This late, it was probably the second shift guards giving her dinner. When she saw the face staring at her, though, her stomach twisted into a knot—Arrluk? That didn't make sense. She glanced over at the window—the blackout curtain had since been hung up in front of it, but right now it was pulled to the side to let in some reading light. It was definitely night, though, well past the shift change. So then what was Arrluk doing here?

“Sheet change. You know the drill.”

That wasn't right, either. Her sheets and prison uniform were changed at the start of every week, not the middle of it—they'd just been changed three days ago. No... she knew what this was about, what time it was... and she had to bear it. So, she shut the book tight and set it down on the table, then slid off the bed. She gave one more look at the door before turning to the far wall and leaning against it, hands spread.

The cell door unlocked, and Arrluk entered. As she had suspected, he wasn't carrying any fresh bedsheets. Tonrar followed in behind him, and he, too, carried no sheets with him.

“Well, if it isn't our favorite prisoner,” Arrluk said, as he strolled through the cell, slowly, casually. He gave a long look at all the books and other knick-knacks littering the space. “You know, you've really spruced this place up in here. Made it your own. It's... nice. Isn't that right, Tonrar?”

His friend grunted out a response and shrugged. A moment later, he took out his police baton and swiped it across the table. The stack of books near the edge toppled to the floor, scattering and springing open.

Kuvira flinched at the sound of her books hitting the floor. She chanced a brief glance, just in time to see Arrluk stepping onto a few of them. Several pages tore out beneath his boot, and he took extra care to drag his step against the floor to cause extra damage.

“The cell's a bit dark, don't you think?” Arrluk stopped in front of the curtained window and held a hand to his chin, staring at it. He was simply mocking, of course, since the curtain wasn't even drawn in front of the window. “Let's let in a little light.” He then yanked at the curtain, tearing it from its fastenings and letting it drop to the floor. “There, that's better.”

Tonrar, meanwhile, had stopped in front of the painting—Huan's painting—leaning up against the wall. He furrowed his brow at it, as if confused. Arrluk joined him and gave it an equally puzzled stare.

“What on earth is that supposed to be?” he wondered. “Have you ever seen an uglier painting?”

Tonrar shook his head.

“Yeah, didn't think so.

Arrluk left the painting, walking over to the other side of the cell and knocking over another stack of books in the process. Tousa held the painting firmly, moving it away from the wall, and then promptly stomped his boot straight through the canvas, tearing a hole through it. Garza grabbed one of the books he had knocked over and opened it. He gave the pages a few flips, shrugged, and then ripped the entire thing in half.

Kuvira forced her jaw to clench, to keep from yelling out. She stared straight ahead at the wall in front of herself, as if trying to burn a hole through it. Eventually, she couldn't bare looking at it anymore and shut her eyes tight; at least that hid the tears in her eyes well enough, though it didn't stop the numb lump from rising into her throat.

Kuvira... tried to hold herself together, but that was the last straw. The books, the painting, the curtain... she could survive losing that.

A loud crack ripped out through the cell and Kuvira cried out. The blow struck her in the back and she whirled around without warning. In the process, she shoved Arrluk back, tripped him over the chair next to the table. He shouted and went down hard, dropping the chain. Kuvira landed atop him and grunted, but then made an immediate dive at him. When she tackled Arrluk she felt a sense of relief wash over her... and then a hot, blinding flash of pain as Tonrar's baton struck the back of her head.

She cried out and rolled over, clutching at the back of her skull—she felt blood, warm and sticky on her fingertips. When she tried to get back up to her knees, a second blow cracked across her jaw. This time, her lip split open, and the blood ran down her chin. A third strike, and it was a broken nose.

“Tonrar, you idiot!” Arrluk shouted, as he righted himself. “Not her face!” He grabbed his own baton and moved into position above Kuvira. “Great, now we're going to have to say she attacked us. Oh well.” With an annoyed grumble, he raised his baton and then let it crack down onto Kuvira's ribs. Tonrar joined him, and soon all Kuvira felt was pain.

* * *

Lin sighed as she entered the prison. She had made it all the way back to the police station before she realized that she'd forgotten her ID badge in the front office earlier that day. Normally, she'd just wait to pick it up the next morning, but since she was going to be in meetings with Raiko all day tomorrow, she had to get it now. She really wouldn't put it past the people at the president's office to turn her away without her badge, even when they knew full well who she was. That was a hassle she didn't want to have to deal with.

“Evening, Chief,” one of the guards stated, as she entered the office. “Forget something?”

“My badge,” she said, with an unenthusiastic wave. She found it right where she had left it, near the check-in desk. Once she had it, she turned right around and started heading back towards the exit. As she did, however, someone moved past her, almost bumping into her on the way by.

“Oh, sorry, chief! Wasn't paying attention.”

Lin glanced up at the perpetrator, never really intending to pay him much mind. When she saw who it was, however, she became fully alert. “Wen? Where are you going?”

“Uh... home?” the guard replied, with a raised eyebrow, as if he wasn't sure why she was asking him that.

“And why would be doing that?” Lin asked, her eyes narrowing at him. “You're supposed to be on duty tonight. You're guarding Kuvira's cell.”

“Well, yeah, I was supposed to,” Wen said, “but Arrluk and Tonrar took an extra shift, remember? They said you signed off on it.”

Lin's eyebrow lifted. She looked from Wen back into the prison. “I don't remember authorizing that...” Something suddenly felt very wrong. She couldn't place it, but a sinking feeling churned in her gut.

With a frown, she took a stance and concentrated, eyes closed, then stomped her foot towards the floor. The metal on the bottom of her boot retracted, allowing her bare foot to meet the tile. Vibrations traveled throughout the prison, painting a mental image for her of the entire building. She saw the guards, the prisoners, the building structure, everything. And when the vibrations made it to Kuvira's cell...

“Hey, Chief! What are you doing!” Wen called.

Lin didn't answer him. She was already halfway down the corridor by the time he shouted after her. She only hoped that what she'd seen in Kuvira's cell was a mistake.

* * *

Arrluk huffed out a few breaths as he backed off. “I think we may have overdone it a bit,” he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. He glanced down at his baton—blood dripped steadily off the tip to the floor. He turned to his left and flipped the table over, then kicked the chair to the other side of the cell. “Come on, we have to make this look like she attacked us. Give me a good clean hit, right here.” He pointed at his cheek.

Tonrar paused a moment, glancing down at Kuvira. He looked at her only briefly before turning back to his partner and winding up his arm with the police baton.

“That's it, make it look real,” Arrluk said, closing his eyes as he braced himself for the hit.

It never came.

Instead, the sound of a pair of police lines unraveling zipped through the air. Arrluk opened his eyes when he felt one of the lines wrap around his wrist. The other had wrapped around Tonrar's arm, preventing him from following through with the attack. In a panic, they both looked back at the cell door, their gazes following the lines to the person they were connected to.

“What. Are you. Doing?” Lin asked, as she started reeling in her lines. Arrluk and Tonar tried to resist, but they soon started sliding towards her.

“Wha—nothing, Chief, honest,” Arrluk stated, as he neared the door. “It's not what it looks like I swear. See, the prisoner attacked us, and—”

“I don't want to hear it!” The anger in Lin's voice could have shattered the walls of Ba Sing Se with its intensity.

Without giving the pair of guards a further chance to explain themselves, she wound up her lines and swung them through the air. Arrluk and Tonar yelled out as they smashed into each other, both collapsing unconscious a second later. When they were down, she metalbended the lines around them, wrapping them up tightly. Then, wasting no more time, she hurried into the cell to check on Kuvira.

Lin stopped halfway there and let out a gasp. She hadn't expected to see so much blood on the floor. Kuvira was lying there, sprawled out on the platinum and unmoving.

“Dear spirits,” Lin muttered, as she knelt next to the woman. She took Kuvira into her arms and turned her over—she spotted at least a broken nose and fractured eye socket, and that was just her face. “Kuvira, can you hear me?”

She received a small groan in response. Kuvira's eyes opened slowly, but they were weak, faded. “Tried to... kill me.”

Immediately, Lin made a grab for her radio and lifted it to her lips. “Dispatch, I need a healer down at the prison, now! Cell B-364. Don't you dare drag your feet on this one, either, get your asses moving!”

When she released the radio, she looked back down at Kuvira. She hesitated a moment, and then slowly reached down to lift up the woman's shirt. The sight underneath made her cringe—Kuvira's torso was one large bruise, and the color was only getting worse by the second.

“Try to hang in there,” she said, moving her gaze back to Kuvira's face. “There's a healer on the way.”

Kuvira coughed, and crimson sprayed out past her lips. “You almost say that... like you care.”

“Of course I care!” Lin snapped. “You may be a prisoner, but you're my prisoner, damn it. I do not tolerate this kind of abuse, and I'll be damned if I let you die on my watch! So pull yourself together and just hang on, you hear me?”

A small groan wheezed out of Kuvira's lips. She looked up at Lin a moment longer, and then finally let her head droop, eyes closing. After that, everything went dark.

* * *

Kuvira's eyes flickered open. For a long moment, she didn't move; she only stared up at the ceiling. She was afraid that if she did try to move, she'd find that she was still horribly injured, every twitch of her body sending agony shooting through her. When she finally gathered the resolve to try and sit up, however, she found no pain at all.

“What?” she uttered to herself. Looking downward, she lifted up her prison shirt to look at her torso—no bruising. A few stray cuts lined her skin here and there, but they were small, and mostly faded, as though they were old, long-healed injuries. She found much the same on her face, when she raised a hand to it. Her nose was fine, and there was no swelling around her eye. Even the cut on her lip was gone. “How...”

Her gaze shifted around the cell. It had been mostly cleaned up since Arrluk and Tonar assaulted her. Her books—or at least what was left of them—were stacked neatly on the table, and the curtain had been folded next to them. There was no blood left anywhere on the floor—it had been cleaned spotless. Even Huan's painting was... well, partially repaired. If one could count being taped back together as repaired.

“Oh, you're awake, good. Was starting to worry a bit.”

The voice was completely unfamiliar to her. She squinted her eyes slightly and groaned as she swung her legs over the side of her bed, and then finally glanced up at the cell door. An equally unfamiliar face stared back at her through the open slot. He was a younger man, perhaps around her own age, with a square jaw lined with a neatly trimmed beard. She couldn't see much more of him through that little slot, though.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Name's Arnook,” he replied. “I'm your new day guard.”

Kuvira's eyes squinted. “Arrluk and Tonrar?”

“Oh, don't you worry about them. They've been... well, let's just say they've been relieved of responsibility.”

“I see...” Well, that was good news. While a part of her still felt like she'd deserved every beating that those two had given her... she couldn't say that she had actually enjoyed it. “And my injuries?”

“Ah, yeah, the wonders of spirit water,” Arnook replied, with a smirk. “Stuff works magic, no lie. You were beaten most of the way to death just a few days ago, and look at you now. Good as new.”

“A few days?” Kuvira held a hand to her forehead and groaned. Her injuries may have healed well enough, but she was still sore. Everywhere. “I've been out that long?”

Arnook nodded. “Yep. Hence my worry.”

“Right, like you were actually worried about what happened to me.”

“What, you mean because you were the Great Uniter, and destroyed half of Republic City and all that?” Arnook lifted an eyebrow. “Yeah, I don't really know much about that. I wasn't around during that whole Earth Empire business, so I really don't have much of a reason to actively not worry about you. You know, considering you're my patient and all.”

Kuvira blinked a moment, as she put his words together. “You were the one that healed me?”

“Guilty as charged. And I have to say, of anyone I've ever healed, you were in by far the worst condition.”

“And yet you were still able to heal me almost perfectly.”

Arnook puffed out a small chuckle. “Hey, I was born and raised in the Southern Water Tribe—trained under Katara, best damn healer in the world. So yeah, I would think I—wait a minute, what do you mean almost perfect?”

Kuvira shrugged, and raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, you missed a few small cuts... and I'm quite a bit sore.”

“Yeah, well... you were in pretty bad shape, you know,” Arnook countered, clearing his throat. “Seeing as how I brought you back from the brink of death, I'd say I did alright.”

A chuckle found its way to Kuvira's lips. She scooted herself off the bed and stood up on shaky legs. It took a moment to steady herself, but she was able to walk over to the table shortly after. She started going through her books, to see which ones had been spared from Arrluk and Tonrar's assault. “So, you're from the Southern Water Tribe? And yet now you work for the Republic City Police. Seems like an odd fit.”

Arnook pressed his lips together, staring at her. “And you're from Zaofu, but now you're in a Republic City jail. Funny how life works sometimes, isn't it?”

Kuvira found herself smirking a little, but she turned so Arnook wouldn't see. “I suppose so.”

“Well, I'll let you get to your things there,” Arnook said, as he moved away from the door slot. “I got a paper to read anyway.”

A few moments later, when she didn't hear the slot close behind the man, she looked up at the door with her brow lowered, confused. “You're going to leave that open?”

“Sure,” she heard him say, from beyond the door. “Pretty hard to talk to you when it's closed, right? I mean, assuming you want to talk. Just speak up if you ever feel like it.”

Kuvira blinked at the open door slot a few times, then straightened herself. A surprised chuckle found its way out of her lips, and she looked back down at her books. “Alright... maybe I will.”


	14. Daughter

“Have you tried writing to them at all?” Arnook asked, as he flipped to the next page of his paper. “I mean, just waiting on them to come around and visit you might not be the best way to go about it.”

Kuvira leaned up against the door to her prison cell, and looked down at the book in her hands. The open slot in the door was just to the left of her, with Arnook leaning against it on the other side. “I've tried... Quite a few times, actually. But every time I do, I can never figure out what to say. What could I say? Words on paper... they just don't have the same impact.”

In the week following the incident, Kuvira had spent a lot more time talking with her new guard than she had expected to. It had started with just little things, meaningless small talk to pass the time, but eventually, they moved on to deeper subjects, like now. Kuvira had brought up the subject of her family, and how all but Su and Huan still seemed to treat her with contempt.

“Maybe not, but it's better than no words at all, right?” Arnook shrugged, and turned to the next page. “Just this humble waterbender's opinion.”

Kuvira breathed deeply and bowed her head, her expression drooping. Maybe Arnook had a point. She had to let them know how she felt somehow.

“How about I bring you some writing materials tomorrow?” he suggested. “You can at least give it another try, if you want.”

She glanced up from her book, eying the door slot. Arnook's face was just visible in her field of vision, as he looked down at his paper. A second later, he glanced up to look back at her, and she turned away. “I suppose that would be fine.”

“Alright, well let's see what's going on in the exciting world of pro-bending.” Arnook pulled the middle of the paper open and held it up a bit, so it was visible through the narrow window. “Hmm... looks like the championship tournament is heating up. The Tigerdillos upset the Buzzard Wasps, the Moose Lions got stomped by the Zebra Frogs, and oh the Hog Monkeys surprising no one with a first round knockout over the Eel Hounds. I should probably try to actually catch a match before the tournament is over.”

Kuvira turned fully towards the door now, and looked over the scores written on the page. With a small huff, she said. “I never understood the appeal of pro-bending. Seems like a fine waste of potential bending talent, to me.”

“Hey, I wouldn't write off those pro-benders that quick,” Arnook said, lifting an eyebrow at her. “You have any idea the kind of hard work they put in? It's not just a bunch of amateurs going out there and slinging their bending around half-cocked, you know. Pro-bending is a whole different style on its own, and it requires countless hours of practice and training. You wouldn't believe the amount of late nights at the gym...”

She met his gaze and raised her own eyebrow, as a small smirk came to her lips. “So, you're speaking from experience, then?”

“Uh...” Arnook cleared his throat and shifted his weight a bit, looking a bit flustered. “Well, I mean I might have been a member of the Lion Vultures for a few years... but that was ages ago, during my first stay at Republic City.”

“Your first stay?”

“Mhm. I left the South when I was fifteen,” he said. “Wanted to go out on my own for a while, see the world, you know? Eventually found myself in Republic City, got a job at the water treatment plant, set myself up in the dingiest apartment you could imagine, and somehow ended up joining a pro-bending team. It was fun, and I learned a lot.”

Kuvira leaned closer against the door, looking through the slot. Arnook had put the paper down now, and had his attention fully turned to her, as well. “But you didn't stay?”

“Don't get me wrong, I loved living here, but I also missed my family back home,” he said, with a shrug. “So, when I was twenty I returned to the South. Stayed there again for a few years, got caught up in that whole civil war nonsense, then decided to move out again. I actually got here about a week after your little demolition work, so imagine my surprise when I see downtown in shambles and a big glowing spirit portal in the middle of the city.”

A small twinge of guilt shot through Kuvira, and she glanced away. “Right...”

Arnook uttered a small chuckle. “Hey, if you ask me, the portal adds a little more character to the place, so it wasn't all bad. But yeah, I spent the next few months looking for work until I bumped into the Chief one day and decided to join the force. So, now here I am. On guard duty for one of the world's most notorious prisoners.”

That last comment normally would have only worsened the growing guilt and self-loathing twisting in Kuvira's gut, but Arnook's tone was different. It wasn't accusatory, or hostile, or filled with hate. Instead... it was joking. Playful, even. So, she looked back at him again and found herself smirking again. “Only one of them?”

Arnook shrugged, and shot back a grin of his own. “Well, it's a toss up between you and that flying guy, really.”

“Zaheer.”

“Za-who?”

“That's the name of the 'flying guy' you just mentioned.”

Arnook blinked, then rubbed the back of his head with a frown. “Oh, right. I'm not too good with names sometimes.”

“So,” she said, as she shifted herself to one side to lean against the door, “how does a relatively new officer like yourself get assigned to guard 'one of the world's most notorious prisoners'?”

“Don't look at me,” he replied, with pursed lips and an unknowing shrug. “Chief Beifong asked me to take over Arrluk and Tonrar's duties after I healed you. I guess since I wasn't affected by your whole conquest at all, she trusts me to not, you know, do to you what those two did.”

Kuvira watched him a moment, sizing him up. He was built well enough, and looked strong, but with a thinner, slender figure that one would expect from a waterbender. Unlike most guards, who would be standing stiff and at attention, always ready for duty, Anrook was much more relaxed, as if he didn't feel the need to be on guard around her.

“And is that trust well placed?” she asked.

“Well, I haven't seen any reason for it not to be,” he said. He took a step back and stretched out his back, with a yawn. “This is actually one of the better assignments I've had in ages, if you ask me. Doesn't even feel like work, to be honest.”

Kuvira frowned. “You don't mean that.”

Arnook looked back at her again, with a genuine surprise. “Why wouldn't I? Sitting around talking with a friend all day and reading the paper? I mean, I'm actually getting paid for this.”

It was here that Kuvira balked. Her face twisted with confusion and she backed away from the door a few steps. Still, she continued staring at Arnook through the cell door. “Friend? You're my guard.”

“Well sure.” He shrugged again, and then walked over to the small table nearby. He grabbed the bag of chips there and then returned to the door. “But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy your company, or talking to you. Like I've already said, I don't have a reason to hate you. You're just a person to me. A person inside a platinum prison cell, sure, but still.”

Kuvira sunk her gaze towards the floor, and her frown deepened. “If you really knew me, you wouldn't be saying that.”

“Mhm, well ignorance is bliss, as they say.” Arnook pulled open the bag of chips and munched on a few of them. Then, he held his arm through the slot and shook the bag at her. “Flameo Hot Chips?”

She stared at the bag in his outstretched hand, debating with herself whether or not to actually take one. As if to solve her dilemma, a grumble sounded in her stomach—it had been hours since she'd been given breakfast, and her next meal wouldn't be for a while. So, with a reluctant sigh, she came forward and pulled a couple chips out of the bag. The moment that she ate one, however, her eyes began to water and she coughed.

“Agh, these are hot!” she exclaimed.

“Uhhh yeah, they're not called 'hot chips' for no reason.” Arnook stifled his laugh, and then waved his arms towards the door. The cork on the cask tied to his hip popped open, and a small stream of water floated through the cell door towards Kuvira. “Here.”

Kuvira lowered her brow and gave the man an annoyed look, but did open her mouth and allow a swig of cold water inside. She then closed her lips and let it sit on her tongue for a while before swallowing. “Thanks... but I think I'll pass on anymore chips.”

A shout sounded from down the hall, followed by raised voices. Both Kuvira and Arnook turned to look down the corridor, and gradually the voices became clearer.

“I can't believe this! How could you let this happen?”

“I didn't let anything happen. I put a stop to it as soon as I found out about it!”

Kuvira scrunched her eyebrows together. She knew those voices... The first was Suyin, and the second, Lin. She hadn't been expecting Su to visit again for another couple of weeks, but evidently, someone had informed her of the incident.

“And by then it was too late!” Su's voice sounded closer, just around the turn in the corridor now. “What if you hadn't been there, Lin? Kuvira would be dead right now!”

“Well I was there, and she's fine now, so you can stop worrying.”

The two sisters finally came around the bend, marching towards the cell. Su was moving in a hurry, and Lin seemed to be struggling to keep up with her, without actually breaking into a run.

“Stop worrying? How am I supposed to stop worrying?” Su shot her sister a hard look, eyes flashing with annoyance. “My daughter gets beaten nearly to death by your guards, in your prison, and you expect me to just forget about it?”

Kuvira's eyebrows lifted. It wasn't Su's anger, or even the unexpected visit that surprised her... but the casual way in which Su had just referred to Kuvira as her daughter. In all the years since she had been taken in by the Beifongs, not once had Kuvira ever actually been referred to that way out loud.

“What, and you think I'm not pissed off about it, too?” Lin countered. “I've already taken steps in making sure nothing like this happens again, and the two officers responsible will be met with swift and harsh punishment.”

Su finally arrived outside the cell, but turned towards Lin with a scowl. “That's all well and good, but I can't just take your word for it. Once is bad enough, but they were beating her for a year and a half before you found out about it, according to your report. That is inexcusable!”

Lin retained her poise, not backing down from her sister. “I'm well aware of that, but as I said, it won't be happening again. Not on my watch.”

“You keep saying that, but you know very well you can't guarantee anything. What about this guard?” She glanced towards Arnook and pointed at him. “How do you know he won't do the same thing behind your back?”

“Hey,” Arnook frowned, his arms crossing over his chest. “I'm standing right here.”

“You're being paranoid,” Lin insisted. “Arnook may be new to the force, but he's a good man, and a damn good cop. I trust him more than half the other men who work for me.”

Arnook straightened a little and smiled. “Well, thank you, Chief, I—”

But Su cut him off. “Or he could be the worst of them, and you'd never know it!”

“Seriously,” Arnook groaned, gesturing at himself. “Right here.”

“Su...” Kuvira pressed her face close to the door slot, and gave the woman an earnest look. “It's alright. I'm fine, really.”

Su turned to the cell and eased out a calming breath. She walked up to the door and raised a hand, holding it gently against Kuvira's cheek. “Oh, Kuvira... I came as soon as I heard. Had to cancel a few meetings, and I may have left one of United Earth Republic's prime ministers waiting in my office, but I'm here. Are you sure you're alright?”

“Yes, I am,” she said, with a nod. “Arnook healed my injuries with spirit water, so you don't need to worry. I'm good as new.”

A relieved sigh left Su's lips, and she looked over to the guard. “Thank you.”

Arnook frowned. “Oh, so now I'm okay?”

“I'm sorry, I was just...”

“No, I get it.” Arnook raised his hands, urging Su to stop. He hadn't actually been serious with his comment. “You're just concerned, I know. No need to explain yourself. And you're welcome.”

Su nodded to him, then looked to Kuvira again. “Kuvira, I promise you I'm going to make sure that nothing like this happens to you again.”

“And how exactly do you intend to do that from Zaofu?” Lin asked. “I already told you, I have everything under control.”

“Simple,” she replied, glancing back over her shoulder. “I'm going to get her transferred to the prison in Zaofu, where I know I can keep her safe.”

Lin's eyes widened, and her face twisted with disbelief, as though Su had just suggested the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. “Are you out of your mind? You'll never get Raiko to agree to that.”

“I don't have to.” Su turned around to face her sister, and folded her arms firmly across her chest. “If I put in a formal prisoner transfer request, then it'll go to a committee review. Raiko won't have the power to stop it himself. All I need to do is convince the committee that she's safer in Zaofu's prison than this one.”

Lin squinted a moment, considering her sister's words. She opened her mouth briefly, as though about to argue, but closed it a moment later and then huffed out a knowing breath. “I'm on that committee.”

Su smiled, and placed a hand to her sister's shoulder. “Which is why I know I can count on you to help make this happen.”

“Su, do you have any idea what the other world leaders will think if you do this?” Lin asked. “Kuvira is one of the highest profile prisoners in the world, and if they know that you're taking her back to Zaofu, they'll think you're showing favoritism. That won't help your political career.”

“I know what I'm doing, Lin. I don't care what anyone else thinks, I'm going to keep my daughter safe while she serves the rest of her sentence.”

There it was again: daughter. It was such a strange sensation, hearing Su call her that—not just saying that she thought of Kuvira like a daughter, but actually calling her that. A knot started to twist itself in Kuvira's throat the more she thought about it, and soon a smile of her own crept its way onto her face.

Lin uttered a small sigh, holding her fingers to the bridge of her nose. “I suppose I can talk to some of the other committee members and try to sway their opinions. But I can't make any promises.”

“Thank you, Lin,” Su replied, with an appreciative nod. “I'll submit the request first thing tomorrow.”

“The sooner the better.” Lin planted her hands to her hips and turned a serious gaze to her sister. “These transfer requests take a lot of time to process even in normal cases, and Kuvira is no normal case. You're looking at months of wait time, maybe years.”

“However long it takes, I won't be giving up.”

“Su.” Kuvira leaned close against the cell door again, drawing the woman's attention. “You know you don't have to do this.”

Turning back to the cell door again, Su came close and softened her expression. “Of course I do. I wasted too much time messing things up with you, failing you... I'm going to make sure that I do things right this time. Whatever it takes.”

Kuvira swallowed, fighting the growing knot in her throat. She nodded slowly, adding a small smile. “Thank you.”

“I love you, Kuvira.” Su returned the smile, then brushed a loose strand of hair away from Kuvira's face. “Don't ever forget it.”

A gentle breath eased out of Kuvira's nose, and she let her eyes close. She hadn't felt this... comforted, this safe, in a long time. “I love you, too.”


End file.
